Japanese Language Questions? Ask Here.

Hi, guys

I have a question. I looked up the word for Older Sister and got ane. Is just saying "ane" enough? If not, I looked up other terms and got anego and aneki. What's the difference?

Wynter wrote:Hi, guys

I have a question. I looked up the word for Older Sister and got ane. Is just saying "ane" enough? If not, I looked up other terms and got anego and aneki. What's the difference?

older sister = neesan; oneesan, ane (less formal way of saying it); anego; aniki (usually used for older brother but sometimes for older sister as well)

Tu_triky wrote:

older sister = neesan; oneesan, ane (less formal way of saying it); anego; aniki (usually used for older brother but sometimes for older sister as well)

Ohhhhhh I see! I read that oneesan is only used when you are referring to someone outside your own family. Like I'd call YOUR sister oneesan when referring to her... eh?

Wynter wrote:
I read that oneesan is only used when you are referring to someone outside your own family. Like I'd call YOUR sister oneesan when referring to her... eh?

No that's wrong......one would call one's OWN sister oneesan as a proper show of respect and deference

Tu_triky wrote:

No that's wrong......one would call one's OWN sister oneesan as a proper show of respect and deference

Actually Wynter is correct - indeed one would refer to one's elder sister as oneesan as a sign of respect, but this is a very formal and unusual use of the word.

thtl wrote:

Actually Wynter is correct - indeed one would refer to one's elder sister as oneesan as a sign of respect, but this is a very formal and unusual use of the word.

No you are wrong...she mentioned the term oneesan as an honorific reserved for other people's family but I said the term oneesan is used for older women within one's OWN family.

Hi, I want to learn Japanese and have been going on some websites...

The basics which I've learn has confused me a bit...

For example,

Watashi wa .... desu = My name is...

but I heard (from some Japanese series)

watashi (name)... = My name is?

Do they share the same meaning?? :crazy:

Shingu wrote:Hi, I want to learn Japanese and have been going on some websites...

The basics which I've learn has confused me a bit...

For example,

Watashi wa .... desu = My name is...

but I heard (from some Japanese series)

watashi (name)... = My name is?

Do they share the same meaning?? :crazy:

"wa" is a "particle" which marks the topic of the sentence. Very essential in Japanese grammar. I suppose you could say it the second way if you wanted to, but people would think you're an in-bred hillbilly. :beaten: [/list:u] Edit: the example you used, "Watashi wa , , , desu" wouldn't be translated as "My name is , , ," it would be translated as "I am , , ," [/list:u]

Edit: the example you used, "Watashi wa , , , desu" wouldn't be translated as "My name is , , ," it would be translated as "I am , , ,"

Hey! thanks for the correction, I guess the website wasn't that useful then... :nut:

Ok, another question.... :crazy:

I've been watching "Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo " and the main character is called Kindaichi Hajime, it is written as "‹à“cˆêˆê"... I'm wondering why it's not Kindaichi Ichi? Does Hajime mean anything?

By the way, do Japanese people read the surname first then the name or vice-versa?

:metaldevil:

Shingu wrote:
Ok, another question.... :crazy:

I've been watching "Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo " and the main character is called Kindaichi Hajime, it is written as "‹à“cˆêˆê"... I'm wondering why it's not Kindaichi Ichi? Does Hajime mean anything?

By the way, do Japanese people read the surname first then the name or vice-versa?

:metaldevil:

"hajime" means beginning, or start. As to why it's not pronounced "ichi" is because it isn't in this case. As you go along, you'll find that most kanji characters have 2 (or more) pronounciations. For example, there is a Japanese baseball player named Ishii Kazuhisa, his name is spelled, Îˆä@ˆê‹v, in this case the character for "ichi' or in your example "hajime" is now pronounced "kazu" And finally, in Japanese they give the last name first. [/list:u]

Ä“¡@ˆê@@saitou hajimeƒ‚ë‚낤‚ÉŒ•S„by the way,S@is spell shin@in here
•è@ˆêŒì@kurosaki ichigoƒbleach„
hehe polyphone and polysemic

Thanks anyway.... but would it be confusing if no-one stated if their name is pronounced either Ichi, Hajime or Kazu? :bonk:

Ok, away from names now...

Usually I learn through reading and writing so my listening is poor... :nut:

Just want to know what is the phrase you say before dining... For example, you'll say "Bon appetit" in French...??

:metaldevil:

Shingu wrote:Thanks anyway.... but would it be confusing if no-one stated if their name is pronounced either Ichi, Hajime or Kazu? :bonk:

Ok, away from names now...

Usually I learn through reading and writing so my listening is poor... :nut:

Just want to know what is the phrase you say before dining... For example, you'll say "Bon appetit" in French...??

:metaldevil:

‘Õ‚«‚Ü‚· [‚¢‚½‚¾‚«‚Ü‚·] itadakimasu :) Watch Kuitan and you'll hear it a LOT :)

Anime Dad wrote:
‘Õ‚«‚Ü‚· [‚¢‚½‚¾‚«‚Ü‚·] itadakimasu :) Watch Kuitan and you'll hear it a LOT :)

And don't forget to say "Gochisosama" when you get done. [/list:u]

‘Õ‚«‚Ü‚· [‚¢‚½‚¾‚«‚Ü‚·] itadakimasu

don't forget to say "Gochisosama" when you get done

Oh I see.... :dancing:

Hhhmmm, this may sound awkward... I want to know if 'grammatical gender' exist in Japanese language? For example:

petit (masc.)
petite (fem.)

:metaldevil:

Shingu wrote:

‘Õ‚«‚Ü‚· [‚¢‚½‚¾‚«‚Ü‚·] itadakimasu

don't forget to say "Gochisosama" when you get done

Oh I see.... :dancing:

Hhhmmm, this may sound awkward... I want to know if 'grammatical gender' exist in Japanese language? For example:

petit (masc.)
petite (fem.)

:metaldevil:

Certain pronouns are masculine or feminine but the conjugation of verbs is not nor are adjectives.

Riddle me this...most every time I hear Japanese and they refer to Beijing they often use the name "Peking" ~ name of the old imperial capital. Why?

Do the Japanese still go around referring to Manchuria as Manchukuo too? Thinking about the good old days...

...like those fools from the South who go around with their Confederate flags....

Tu_triky wrote:Riddle me this...most every time I hear Japanese and they refer to Beijing they often use the name "Peking" ~ name of the old imperial capital. Why?

Do the Japanese still go around referring to Manchuria as Manchukuo too? Thinking about the good old days...

Maybe because the characters used (hiragana? katakana?) still phonetically say "Peking?"

Just a guess from a man on the street. :beaten:

...like those fools from the South who go around with their Confederate flags....

Redneck knuckleheads, plain and simple.

bmwracer wrote:Maybe because the characters used (hiragana? katakana?) still phonetically say "Peking?"

That's a very good point!

Although the characters we are probably concerned with are kanji...but I would think the Kanji for Beijing differs from the characters for Peking.

Just a guess from a man on the street
Redneck knuckleheads, plain and simple.

So desu.

It's still a variation on "he". "be" is as easily spoken as "pe" or "pi".

"he", "be", "pe" or "pi" ... No problem. :doh: